Revered Illinois alumna’s $45M ‘visionary gift’ lifts connection to a new level
URBANA, Ill. - Strengthening families and communities through gathering and connection have been important themes throughout Doris Kelley Christopher’s life and career. Now, a $45 million gift from the University of Illinois alumna will support the creation of an engagement-rich center located in the Arboretum on the Urbana-Champaign campus.
ACES, Extension researchers add expertise to Illinois climate change report
Illinois is undergoing a rapid change in weather patterns that already has started to transform the state and could affect the future of farming, a major new scientific assessment by The Nature Conservancy in Illinois reveals.
Ensuring healthy family mealtimes is important – and complicated
URBANA, Ill. – Mealtimes are a central aspect of family life, affecting the health and wellbeing of both children and adults. Although the benefits of healthy mealtimes are straightforward, helping all families realize those benefits is quite complicated, new research from University of Illinois shows.
Farmland gift to impact 4-H and child development
URBANA, Ill. - Illinois 4-H and the University of Illinois have been a part of Nann Armstrong’s heritage for multiple generations. With a recent gift of farmland, Armstrong ensured her family’s legacy will continue to impact current and future generations of 4-H members and students in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Department of Human Development and Family Studies.
New online, research-based program aims to strengthen relationships
URBANA, Ill. – Stressors in life, including the challenges of the current COVID-19 pandemic, can take a toll on marriages and other close, intimate relationships. Family studies researchers at the University of Illinois, in partnership with University of Illinois Extension, are addressing this issue by launching a new online program for Illinois couples seeking help for their relationship.
U of I receives funding to create, expand mental health resource network for farmers
URBANA, Ill. – Even without the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural producers experience high levels of anxiety, depression, substance use, and death by suicide. Researchers at the University of Illinois and Illinois Extension are working to ensure producers and their families have the resources and access to services to manage their stress and mental health.
New report shows UI Extension generates value 10 times its budget
URBANA, Ill. - Kim Kidwell, dean of the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), announced a new report today detailing the impact of Illinois Extension, the public outreach and engagement arm of University of Illinois.
Agronomy Day goes virtual in 2020
URBANA, Ill. – In its 63rd year, Agronomy Day at the University of Illinois will be an event unlike any other. For the first time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event moves online and features recorded video presentations from College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) researchers and Extension specialists.
COVID-19 data dashboard helping make sense of the crisis
URBANA, Ill. – During the COVID-19 pandemic, many are paying closer attention to numbers than ever before. Whether it’s the number of new cases in local communities or the death toll worldwide, these figures can be alarming and overwhelming.
Enter Zaheeda Darvesh. The data analyst with University of Illinois Extension is taming COVID-19 numbers for one Illinois community and helping the public make sense of the crisis.
Creative solutions ensure pesticide applicators can go to work in Illinois
URBANA, Ill. – While many of us are staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, some 37,000 licensed pesticide applicators are going to work, ensuring an abundant food supply and weed- and insect-free outdoor spaces. Every year, about a third of these applicators sit down in testing locations across the state to renew their licenses. So, when it became clear in-person testing would be impossible this spring, thousands of jobs were on the line.